


it's nice to have a friend

by dearzoemurphy



Category: New Girl (TV 2011)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 21:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30112587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearzoemurphy/pseuds/dearzoemurphy
Summary: Jess is nervous for her first date, so she asks Cece to help calm her nerves.Set when Jess and Cece are in high school.
Relationships: Jessica Day & Cece Parekh, Jessica Day/Cece Parekh
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	it's nice to have a friend

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came to me a little while ago and I just had to get it out on paper! I hope you enjoy this little ficlet <3

“Are you _sure_ this dress looks alright?” Jess asked, tugging on its poppy-adorned skirt as she looked herself over in her floor-length mirror.

“Yes, of course! It looks great, and it’s very…you,” Cece assured her. She was currently sitting on Jess’ bed and watching her best friend try on a series of outfits. They were on outfit number seven, and Jess showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Every single one so far had _something_ wrong with it; the garments were all too short or too long or too gaudy or too plain.

Jess sighed dramatically as she let the skirt fall back down around her knees. “I just want to make sure I’m wearing the perfect dress, you know? I’m not as pretty as you, I have to compensate in other areas.”

“Jess, you know that’s not true! You’re absolutely gorgeous, and I won’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Not even yourself,” Cece said.

“Thanks, Cece. But tonight is my first date! You’ve gone on way more dates than me, that means you’re definitively prettier.”

“No, that just means that my standards are lower than yours. And trust me, that’s not a good thing.” Cece stood up and strode across the room towards Jess, who was currently frowning at her reflection. “You look great. If Peter doesn’t think so, then you should just walk right out of the restaurant.”

Jess giggled, her frown finally flipping upside down. “Really?”

“Really. _Especially_ in this dress.”

“So you’re sure this is the one?”

“I was sure when you first came out of your closet wearing it! You’re the one who kept asking me about it,” Cece said. “Actually, I was sure that all the others were fine. But this one is definitely the best.”

Jess looked her reflection in the eye and gave herself a firm nod before turning to look at Cece. “Okay. Great. Um, you’ve helped a lot already, so thanks for that. But…there’s something else I wanted to ask you.”

“Of course, ask away.”

“What’s it like to…how do you…I just…”

“Use your words, Jess. I believe in you,” Cece said dryly, cracking a smile at Jess’ sputtering.

“How do you kiss people? I’ve never kissed anyone, and I’m really worried that Peter’s going to try to kiss me and if I’m not good at it, he’ll get mad and leave me behind at the restaurant and I don’t know what to do about it!”

Cece blinked, attempting to process everything that Jess had just said.

“Okay, first, let’s take a deep breath,” she said, taking the action herself and encouraging Jess to do it along with her. “Next, you have to know that he won’t be mad if you’re not a great kisser, especially if you tell him that it’s your first! It might be his first, too, and if you’re both this nervous, then knowing that will make you both feel better.”

“Okay. Yeah. Wait. What if…what if I’m the one who kisses him instead, and what if it’s not my first kiss?” Jess asked.

“I’m not following you, girl.”

“Cece, you’ve already had your first kiss! You know how to do it! What if you taught me how?” Jess spun around to grab her friend by the shoulders and stared right into her eyes, grinning wildly. “By like, kissing me. So I won’t be as nervous to kiss Peter since he won’t be my first!”

Cece’s eyes widened. “Are you really asking me to be your first kiss?”

“Yes! That’s not weird, right? Best friends can teach each other how to kiss.”

“I don’t think it’s weird…but I’ve never heard anyone talk about it.”

“That must mean it’s normal and everyone does it!” Jess said excitedly. She jumped up and down for a second before reaching out to grab Cece’s hands. “So, will you kiss me?”

She looked into Jess’ shining eyes and gripped her hands in return. This was normal, right? Friends do this sort of thing. Best friends _definitely_ do this sort of thing. Right?

“Of course,” Cece said before she could put any more thought into it. “I’ll teach you how to kiss.”

“Yay!” Jess squealed. “So…how do you start?”

“Well…pretend I’m Peter, okay?”

Jess nodded a little too readily.

“Great. So, the guy usually will put his arms around your waist to bring you two closer together,” Cece began to explain. She let go of her friend’s hands to snake her arms around Jess’ waist; Jess giggling as she was pulled forward.

“Then, you can put your arms around his shoulders,” Cece instructed. Jess did so and pulled the two of them even closer together. She grinned, her face now mere inches away from Cece’s.

“And then what?”

“Then…you sort of tip your head to the side, just a little.”

Jess tilted her head to the point where her ear was almost touching her shoulder, which made Cece laugh.

“No, no. Just a little. Like this,” she said, modeling the intended action.

Jess corrected herself to mirror Cece and gave a curious smile. “And then what?” she asked in a low whisper.

“I’ll lean in, we’ll close our eyes right before our lips touch, and…it happens,” Cece said, smiling back. Their faces were close enough that she could feel Jess’ breath on her cheek and smell the bubblegum that she’d been chewing, and the scent made her stomach flutter in a way that it probably shouldn’t have.

“Um, are you ready?”

“Ready as the tortoise racing the hare,” Jess replied cheerfully.

Cece took a deep breath and tried to contain her growing smile. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

She leaned in, her eyes fluttering shut as soon as she saw Jess’ do the same. She gently pressed her lips against her friend’s, parting them slightly. Jess was a fast learner and followed suit, allowing Cece to gently take her top lip between both of hers. She gently applied a little more pressure and pulled Jess closer still, her arms now wrapped around her friend’s torso like ivy climbing up an ancient tower.

The kiss barely lasted a few seconds and they both pulled away before it could progress any further, but Jess still stared up at Cece with a kind of awe afterwards.

“That was…really nice. I think I get it,” Jess said after a silent moment.

“Get what?”

“You know, the whole kissing thing. The feeling close to someone, seeing the fireworks, all that fun stuff.”

A broad smile spread across Cece’s face against her will. “You saw fireworks?”

“I mean, yeah! Didn’t you?”

Cece took a second to study Jess’ hopeful face. Maybe she had. But she didn’t truly _see_ much of anything; she’d felt it. Being held by Jess was like being bathed in sunlight, and kissing her was like walking directly into a burning building.

So she understood the sentiment.

“Yeah, I did,” Cece said. She released Jess and took a step back from her. “Peter’s one lucky guy. I think you’re gonna blow his mind tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Aw!” Jess cooed as she sprung forward to embrace Cece once more. Timidly, Cece hugged her back, placing her head right in the crook of her neck.

“Thanks for everything, Cece. Now I know there’s nothing to be nervous about!”

Cece squeezed her best friend a little tighter, bringing her a little closer to her chest. “No problem, Jess. Anything for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> please leave any thoughts and opinions you have in the comments if you're so inclined!! I love Nick and Jess together but also Cece and Jess would be adorable friends to lovers. hope you all are doing well and have a great day or night!!


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